Immigration is a Pro-Life Issue
On World Day for Migrants and Refugees in September, I could not help but think of the millions of political refugees around the world suffering while being driven from their homes, fleeing injustice and violence, and being received with the opposite of open arms in countries everywhere. Even right here at our own border. It is an issue which I have a special connection to, being an immigrant myself
I could not help but think about how I, as a middle-class Mexican immigrant, have never had to face a fraction of the adversity that immigrants from Central Mexico and Central America face when coming to the U.S.-Mexico border now. When my parents decided to immigrate to the U.S., it was a completely free choice. We did not face extreme poverty or economic hardship. We were not driven out by violence. We did not have to resort to extreme measures to cross the border in order to better our lives. And yet, this is not the reality of many immigrants and refugees who uproot their lives in order to have a chance of bettering them here. Not only do they suffer throughout the long journey, but they also face incredible challenges when they actually arrive and are settled into a community here. I witnessed many fellow Hispanics in my community back home being left behind or discriminated against because of their status as undocumented or even just as people of color—in school, in the workplace, in social circles, and even in my church.
In light of these experiences, it is increasingly striking to me that people assume that immigrant and refugee issues are not part of the pro-life movement—to suggest this is in direct contradiction of what it means to be pro-life. We are called to defend the inherent dignity of the human person, from conception to natural death. How can we expect to be taken seriously if we do not have a consistent ethic of life? If the measure of a society is how it treats its poorest and most vulnerable, what does it say about us if we capitalize on the opportunity to make immigrants feel “other-ed” or unwelcome?
As a pro-life immigrant, it seems to me that we, as the pro-life movement, should be more intentional about reaching out to immigrants who are in need, whether facing hardships at the border or in their communities here in the U.S. It is encouraging to hear of the work of organizations like the Kino Border Initiative, which provides immigrants with housing, food, legal help, and more. Work such as this upholds the dignity of the human person and the right to life, just as much as the work done by pregnancy resource centers.
As important as our stance against abortion, for example, is our respect for the community of immigrants who make sacrifices in order to provide their families and selves with the opportunity for a better life. How could we possibly say that, because of someone’s nationality, they are not entitled to the same rights that others of us are afforded by chance? At Georgetown University Right to Life, we stand with immigrants and their families because we believe in a consistent ethic of life, which includes the opportunity for life for all, from children in their mother’s womb to immigrants seeking a better life in a new country.
In particular, we must be careful not to normalize any language or behavior that is harmful to the immigrant community. Instead, we must stand in opposition to anything that degrades the sanctity of human life. I hope that this article will be just the beginning of a much-needed conversation about the intersectionality of the pro-life movement and immigration, as well as encourage others to recognize it as an integral part of our mission to defend human life.
Ana Ruiz (SFS ‘22)
